Getting back into the hobby: LED vs LED/T5....what's changed?

[David3147]

Are LEDs (g6, etc) ready for primetime? I used to run the Power Module 8 T5/LED hybrid lighting 48" and it was pretty amazing. At the time circa 2015, even the high end LED's made you dizzy to look into the tank and it all looked a bit artificial. Thoughts?

Are the new premium brands much better?
Is it time for me to move on to an LED only tank?
Ignoring cost, best brand for SPS tank? --I know highly subjective, was looking at Neptune Sky vs Radion Pro G6.

Other considerations? Is the Power Module hybrid still the way to go?

 

[blaxsun]

< insert T5/MH purists here>

I think they are (my tank has been doing fine with them), but I'm not hard-core coral fanatics would agree.

 

[Bpb]

Light delivery among the higher end leds have improved a good bit. That was a big weak point among earlier generations. Look into the reef fi lights. More of a small batch boutique offering. Very well engineered.

 

[David3147]

About to pull the trigger on Radion G6 Pro XR30. (150g SPS tank). Between those and a hybrid T5 fixture with same LED. Is the hybrid worth it still?

 

[ronnie]

About to pull the trigger on Radion G6 Pro XR30. (150g SPS tank). Between those and a hybrid T5 fixture with same LED. Is the hybrid worth it still?

I just got a tank after being out for 7-8 years. I’m now running the G6 XR 15 Pro and I think it’s ok. I miss T5/MH though. The “look” is different and will take some getting used to.

 

[Icryhard]

Are LEDs (g6, etc) ready for primetime? I used to run the Power Module 8 T5/LED hybrid lighting 48" and it was pretty amazing. At the time circa 2015, even the high end LED's made you dizzy to look into the tank and it all looked a bit artificial. Thoughts?

Are the new premium brands much better?
Is it time for me to move on to an LED only tank?
Ignoring cost, best brand for SPS tank? --I know highly subjective, was looking at Neptune Sky vs Radion Pro G6.

Other considerations? Is the Power Module hybrid still the way to go?

LED used to be pretty "bad" from what I understood, but these new models and the new technique has made it very effective and cost/duration efficient from what I've understood.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Are LEDs (g6, etc) ready for primetime? I used to run the Power Module 8 T5/LED hybrid lighting 48" and it was pretty amazing. At the time circa 2015, even the high end LED's made you dizzy to look into the tank and it all looked a bit artificial. Thoughts?

Are the new premium brands much better?
Is it time for me to move on to an LED only tank?
Ignoring cost, best brand for SPS tank? --I know highly subjective, was looking at Neptune Sky vs Radion Pro G6.

Other considerations? Is the Power Module hybrid still the way to go?

LED is fine, but you need a lot of them otherwise in a crowded SPS tank you end up with a lot of shadowing.

At the moment I'm seriously thinking of adding a couple of t5 fittings to the tank

 

[Bpb]

About to pull the trigger on Radion G6 Pro XR30. (150g SPS tank). Between those and a hybrid T5 fixture with same LED. Is the hybrid worth it still?

Initially. You won’t notice the benefits. Once you have larger colonies the addition of t5 tubes is helpful to color up the shaded bits the LEDs create through their point source nature

 

[The Opinionated Reefer]

A hybrid approach is still the best and I doubt anything will be better than the ATI power module you used to use. The ATI Hybrid powermodule is still the best reefing light ever made IMO

 

[Hooz]

The top shelf LEDs are not the same animal that they were even a few years ago. IMO, an all LED "hybrid" is probably the way to go these days. Have your primary lights flanked by LED strips for fill.

I was hopeful that the AI Blade would be the new king of the hill for strip only lighting (replacing T5 altogether), but the spectrum isn't what I was hoping for and there are more QC complaints than I'd care to risk at the moment. I'd probably be willing to use them as fill lights with something else, but as a single light option, it's just not there yet for me... yet.

 

[Hooz]

I would add... Just take the Sky off your list regardless. There are a lot of MUCH better options for a LOT less money and some really nice options for the same money.

 

[rtparty]

Are LEDs (g6, etc) ready for primetime? I used to run the Power Module 8 T5/LED hybrid lighting 48" and it was pretty amazing. At the time circa 2015, even the high end LED's made you dizzy to look into the tank and it all looked a bit artificial. Thoughts?

Are the new premium brands much better?
Is it time for me to move on to an LED only tank?
Ignoring cost, best brand for SPS tank? --I know highly subjective, was looking at Neptune Sky vs Radion Pro G6.

Other considerations? Is the Power Module hybrid still the way to go?

Not sure if you’ve already made a decision but new LEDs are loads better than they were back in the day. I just barely took the plunge to 100% LEDs 3 months ago. I’ve tried almost every major LED out there and the Blades are the best I’ve ever used. They do have some first batch woes and things they can improve but my tank went from halides to Blades and hasn’t skipped a beat. Growth is up, pH is up, consumption is up, they’ve been amazing. Can’t beat their price and coverage.

 

[Ann Enomy]

Is your tank going to be open top, canopy or built in? If open I think the Radion is probably the highest output/spread of light with the cleanest look. If it's going to be hidden I like T5 kessil combo. Kessil is very similar to MH's as far as shimmer and you get the coverage from T5's

 

[scottkoji]

I would add... Just take the Sky off your list regardless. There are a lot of MUCH better options for a LOT less money and some really nice options for the same money.

Curious why you don't like the Sky? I've heard nothing but rave reviews about them

 

[Hooz]

Curious why you don't like the Sky? I've heard nothing but rave reviews about them

Super, super narrow blue spectrum. It has more of a "450nm spike" than a lot of the cheap Chinese lights on Amazon. In order to get any width in the blue band, you have to adjust the main channel (450nm) way down which basically neuters the light for PAR.

BRS glossed over and downplayed all that in the initial review, but some of us were paying attention.

Then, when you figure in the cost, there are a LOT better options for the same or less (sometimes a lot less) money. I think with the current state of LED lighting, you'd have to really be a Neptune fan to buy a Sky at this point.

 

[piranhaman00]

LED T5 hybrid will always be the best

 

[scottkoji]

Super, super narrow blue spectrum. It has more of a "450nm spike" than a lot of the cheap Chinese lights on Amazon. In order to get any width in the blue band, you have to adjust the main channel (450nm) way down which basically neuters the light for PAR.

BRS glossed over and downplayed all that in the initial review, but some of us were paying attention.

Then, when you figure in the cost, there are a LOT better options for the same or less (sometimes a lot less) money. I think with the current state of LED lighting, you'd have to really be a Neptune fan to buy a Sky at this point.

thank you for this

 

[davidrod8]

About to pull the trigger on Radion G6 Pro XR30. (150g SPS tank). Between those and a hybrid T5 fixture with same LED. Is the hybrid worth it still?

I was running 3 Radions on my 7 footer for 6 months and thought I was in high heaven. Everything looked amazing. Decided to get a hybrid (Aquatic Life) and added 4 - 5 ft bulbs ATI blue plus...

waaaaaaooooo!

within hours, the difference was quite noticeable. Anemones and LPS open up to a point I hadn't seen before...

Keep in mind that for the price of 3 radion arms that's half the fixture right there

 

[piranhaman00]

bingo, nothing with beat T5 blue plus, or similar. Led strips still contain diodes=no blending

 

[Epic Aquaculture]

LED's have come a long way. For an SPS tank the Radion G6 is a MUCH better choice than the Neptune Sky. That being said, no LED fixture on the market provides actual full spectrum light. We use Radion T5 hybrid fixtures on all of our systems. It truly is the best of both worlds. We get the excellent color rendition of the Radions with the full spectrum and reduced shading of the T5's.